Fossilised egg - 32 cm - 22 cm

Prepared egg of Aepyornis maximus with small feed hole, No. XIV Weight: 1700 g, Circumference across (measured through the midline): 70 cm, Circumference up (midline): Length 86 cm, Height 32 cm, Width / maximal diameter at the thickest point 22 cm

The Vorompatras were the only giant flightless birds that were still observed, hunted, and exterminated by humans. The endemic, Madagascar-only “elephant bird” is said to have lived from the Pleistocene to the 17th century. It even served as a food source for locals and ships passing by up to its extinction. The legends of the Malagasy (ethnic groups Mahafaly, Atandroy and Antanosy) report that in “olden times” even the settlements of the indigenous people were placed close to the nesting sites of the flightless birds, as they were excellent food sources. These sites were regarded as sacred and treated as secret knowledge even after the birds were exterminated. To this day, eggs remain in family ownership, treated as heirlooms and “curious treasures,” but are sold only in absolute rare cases.

In science, first described in 1870 by the French researcher Granddidier with “Aepyornis maximus” or earlier also Aepyornis titan (the largest of 4 species in the genus Aepyornis), it was similar to the modern African ostrich. A giant flightless bird, its stature over 3 m, with a weight of about 500 kg. The eggs are larger than all previously found dinosaur eggs. Since they were the largest eggs in the world, they are biologically the largest known cells in the world. The Aepyornis was the model for the bird “Rock” from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, which recounts Sindbad the Sailor’s adventures. In Arab tales the “elephant bird” is often mentioned, said to be so strong that it could seize an elephant and fly away with it. The “elephant birds” lived roughly contemporaneously with the well-known New Zealand giant flightless birds, the moa, which went extinct only in the 19th century. Like the extinct moas, the still-living Australian emus and South American rheas, the elephant bird had three toes. The Aepyornis was not related to the New Zealand moas. The content of the egg was 8 to 9 liters, six times more than that of the African ostrich, 150 times more than a chicken egg.

Untreated, unbroken eggs, without additions, are post-fossil rarities and extremely rare. These specimens have fetched prices of over €100,000. More commonly, the indigenous people find full clutches of hatched chicks. The associated broken eggshells are kept as treasures and sometimes reassembled. The egg offered here was artistically assembled by an experienced preparator in Madagascar from the original shells of a clutch. As is customary in museum techniques, the original state of the object was restored in this way. The remaining seams were sealed with ground shells and calcium carbonate binders. The resulting collectible displays the original splendor of the natural fossil and allows purchase at a much more affordable price than an unprepared egg. In any case, it is a one-of-a-kind item for any collection and a witness to fossil history. This egg comes from a family collection from the 1970s to the 1990s. Today export from Madagascar is prohibited.

Delivery includes a foldable rosewood stand or Plexiglas ring (please indicate preference), certificate, and a technical brochure by Ernst Probst on all findings about the elephant birds.

If seriously interested, I am happy to provide copies of all available provenance documents of the object.

Delivery and viewing by arrangement.

Source of photos: Von Monnier - Quelle, Von Monnier digimorph org, Wikimedia, Private collection